One of the fun parts of being a software architect is trying to figure out how to build whatever it is that you are supposed to build. It's even more fun when you look at the architecture for an entire enterprise, and have to make choices that integrate every co...

A couple of issues ago, I railed about the lack of Web services- based technology to provide the last hurdle of any service - representation in a user interface. While many Web services will only be accessed programmatically, still more are destined to find their ...

As I get ready to celebrate the holidays this year, I spent a little time reflecting on what I would like from the various Web services vendors. While a case of scotch was definitely tempting, what I really want is a better toolset.

One of the things I continually rail about in the Web services world is the lack of last mile technology - you know, the ability to get a Web service in front of a user. Even though a large number of Web services are designed solely for computer to computer commun...

We've been covering Web services technologies for quite some time now, almost three years. In that time - I think it amounts to two eternities in Internet time - we've seen all sorts of interesting things occur. Cooperation, coopetition, even the creation of a gro...

Yes, I know it's corny, but I've had a few things on my mind regarding service-oriented architecture, component-based development, and even the infamous enterprise service bus. (Hey, at least the title isn't 'Get on the Bus'). All of these have something to do w...

I was recently invited to be a guest speaker at the eBay Developers Conference, where I was part of a panel whose topic was 'Delivering the Promise of Web Services.' I found it particularly interesting, if slightly worrisome. What struck me most was the differenti...

Roughly last year at this time, as we covered the convergence of EAI and Web services, many people were asking about the ultimate survival of EAI as a software solution. In one sense, this was understandable, as the technologies that make up Web services provide s...

When I started to think about writing this month's column I looked on the Internet for a good way to define service-oriented architecture (SOA). Some of the definitions were interesting, like 'A Service Oriented Architecture is basically a Collection of Services' ...

The saying goes, 'when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.' It comes from carpentry, where it implies a certain amount of limited capability for a craftsman, but it has applicability in a wide range of situations. In particular for the IT indus...

At one point in my career I worked right across the street from Enron. I used to pass the big E on the sidewalk as I made my way to the account I was working on. Like most of us, the fall of Enron surprised and angered me.

There's a joke in the industry that states that the only really secure computer is in a room where no one is allowed to go. It has no Internet connection, and no network connectivity. It has no monitor, so no one can peek over a user's shoulder to see what is on t...

One of the more interesting observations I've made in the past year concerns the model on which corporations base their IT strategies. I've visited a large number of major corporations, and there's a very strong trend. These corporations are large, with establishe...

Every year about this time, I like to take a moment to reflect on things. Some people make resolutions, but I've never been very good at that, so instead I try to take a look forward and see where the year is going to take us, and what we need to accomplish.

Every now and then, I feel like two separate people. On one hand, I want to talk about services, pure and simple. I don't want to clutter it all up by discussing how to present the service to a user, or how to make it pretty, or how to make it cross platform. And ...

Recently, I've been seeing some chatter around adding a programmatic aspect to Web services that is currently not part of the specifications - namely, adding object orientation (in particular inheritance, although I'm sure polymorphism is implied). I've thought ...

Let's start with a high-level overview of WS-I and, if you can, highlight key members, new members, and what your broad mission statement is.

One of the most frustrating things I've ever encountered in my life is trying to loosen a nut using a socket from the wrong measurement system. You know, I've got a metric nut, but an English socket set. So I find a socket that's close, but it's loose, and inevi...

(September 11, 2003) - Today marks the second anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center, and the attack on the Pentagon and the heroics over that field in Pennsylvania. Last year I wrote a column about what it was like that day, two years ago, to w...

In the battle over application servers, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that the battle is over. The bad news is that everybody lost. And by that I mean something a little different from what you might think. Application servers are no longer...

This past August, I celebrated a major milestone - 10 years in the publishing business. Over the last decade, I've had the opportunity to participate in, and in some cases, even anticipate major technology changes. First with client/server, then with the Intern...

Since PowerBuilder Developer's Journal is now in its 10th year of publication, we asked a couple of old friends to share their thoughts and memories about the magazine.

When I first graduated (well, actually, the second time) I had an offer from a company for a programming job. They were going to hire me, contingent upon my passing the IBM Programmer's Aptitude Test. So one day I drove my college junk heap an hour out of my wa...

In June I attended the JavaOne conference out in San Francisco, to keep up with what the Java world was doing, and to see how it impacted Web services. I see a number of parallels between Web services and the way that the various Java specifications have been crea...

Have you ever visited one of those theme parks that depict life as it was in colonial times? I'm always fascinated by the blacksmith and other craftsmen who show you just how hard it actually was to produce items that we take for granted, and how many modern inven...

From time to time I hear people say 'those who can, do; those who can't, manage.' Usually a developer mutters this as he begins another 80-hour week courtesy of a slip in the project plan. Of course, once you get to be management yourself, you realize there's more ...

My dictionary defines service as the work provided by one that serves. Sometimes it seems that you have to define something by itself, even when you don't want to. Web services provide the ability for an organization to expose its business processes for consumpt...

When I was a kid, I loved to put things together. I especially liked building things with LEGO. Never mind the TV, dump a huge pile of LEGO blocks in front of me and I'd be quiet for hours, building a LEGO version of the Eiffel Tower, or some other construct that on...

My neighborhood is home to a host of birds, many of which fly south during the winter months. With spring in bloom, I always look forward to the return of the various avian travelers who dart and weave all over the open fields near my home. That's the kind of mig...

Back in the old days, when you needed to communicate with someone distant, you usually had to send a letter. There was no instant response, and there was no way to tell when your message was received. Now we have always-on e-mail, BlackBerrys, and assorted other d...

One of the more interesting conversations I have with IT organizations is over what constitutes a portal. While issues vary, it is clear that there is a business definition of a portal that is distinctly different from the technology definition of a portal. That...

When I was younger, I found out the hard way that I was allergic to certain medications - I got three shots and went into shock. It left me deeply afraid of needles. To this day, doctors need to give me something to bite on when they give me a shot. Dentists, well, ...

What's in a name? A rose by any other name will still smell as sweet. Well, perhaps in the world of horticulture, but in the information technology arena, I'm not sure that aphorism applies. I'm sure you all realize that I'm referring to the recent purchase of Rat...

The Web services world is currently cluttered with code-intensive solutions that require intimate knowledge of lower-level protocols to successfully deploy applications as Web services. Much like the initial situation of the World Wide Web, when a detailed knowledge...

It's not unusual for the January issue of a magazine to have a column discussing the past, or predicting the future. This year, I thought we might try something a little different. Rather than reminisce or prognosticate, I thought I'd toss out my list of Web servi...

There's an expression in the industry - 'putting lipstick on a pig.' It's used to signify a task, or project, that has only cosmetic value and doesn't address the real issues of a situation - it merely makes the pig look a little better. But after all, it's still a ...

There's an old expression - 'When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.' There's a wealth of applicable comment in this expression. It's an admonition to see the bigger picture as well as a suggestion that to be a true craftsman, one must have the right tools.

There's a lot going on in the world of Web services these days, so much so that it's almost hard to keep track of it. And there is definitely enough to make it difficult to make sense of competing initiatives. But it certainly makes for interesting watching. Cas...

We aren't a news magazine, and we don't cover current events except as they relate to our industry, so I had to think long and hard about what to say in this edition. Nevertheless, I decided that at least in my editorial, we would remember September 11th.

In the world of Web services, the question of the month is about platforms. Does the Web services world resemble the political system of the United States, with a two-party system, or is it a more free-wheeling system of coalitions and multiple interests?